


Colleagues

by rip_to_shreds



Series: The Cycle of Us [2]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Embarrassment, Established Relationship, F/F, Girls Kissing, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Laywer Diana, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), Married Couple, Same-Sex Marriage, Teacher Akko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-02-26 12:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13235604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rip_to_shreds/pseuds/rip_to_shreds
Summary: Diana is a lawyer. Her colleagues don't interact with her much, but thankfully Akko is here to help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, before you read this, please know that a) this is a sequel to a work I wrote for Dianakko Week 2017 and b) I had no knowledge of anything lawyer-like when I wrote so please excuse any inaccuracies.
> 
> Regardless, I hope you enjoy this fic!

Diana had finally done it. She had achieved the stuff of her dreams and nothing could stop her now.

(When _had_ Diana gotten so _cheesy_?)

She had finally gained the courage to ask Akko out, and now here she was happily married to the dork.

She had worked _so_ hard, often at the expense of her own health (though gaining Akko as a roommate was unsurprisingly what forced her out of this), and now here she was in one of the top law firms in the country.

Despite the high-paying cases the firm offered Diana, she tended to stick to her roots, what got her into wanting to become a lawyer.

That is: defending those who couldn’t defend themselves because of the circumstances life handed to them.

So it was to no one’s surprise that she was considerably well known. And not to the extent of well known as when she was just that _rich Cavendish girl_. No, often enough, at the conclusion of a case, reporters had the tendency of surrounding the courtroom, hopeful for the chance to interview the _Cavendish girl with a bright future in law._

The question they were all armed with was, “Why?”

Diana would only respond with a small smile, beautiful nonetheless despite its size. None of the reporters would ever hope to guess it was directed to a girl with a far more bright future than Diana. Someone who would always tune in to _any_ channel, at _any_ time, so long as it had Diana’s face plastered on it. Someone who _loved_ her and who Diana would do anything to make feel _loved_.

Akko always said that the reason she wanted to be a teacher was so that she could inspire people, make their day a little better than it had been before. Diana was just doing the same, just trying to inspire people, in the only way she knew how.

So yeah. Life was going pretty great for her. _Actually_ , it was pretty _wonderful_.

The one thing that would _vastly_ improve it would be if her colleagues actually _interacted_ with her.

* * *

Diana should probably backtrack a little there. It’s not like her colleagues _don’t_ interact with her. They do. It’s just rather stilted. And awkward. And their conversations tend to have way more pauses than she had thought possible. And-

Anyways.

(Akko really _was_ rubbing off on her.)

The point is, while her colleagues _did_ interact with her, it was quite evident that they would prefer _not_ to interact with her for some inexplicable reason.

Diana, when first faced with the thought, wondered if maybe her colleagues felt they were below her.

She immediately shook away the idea.

Diana expected something like that when she was merely known for being the heir to the Cavendish family. She didn’t deserve it, no, but it was normal, just another part of her life.

Now? She was just an ordinary lawyer with a penchant for helping the unfortunate. Diana could hardly see how someone could feel like they were below someone like _that_.

Besides, they were all equals. They all had worked extremely hard to make it into this law firm, and here they were to this very day.

So she simply _could_ not understand _why_ -

* * *

It had been a long day at the firm. The work was rewarding (it would _always_ be rewarding) but Diana could not help but be worn out sometimes.

She knew she would be in for a long night, so Diana rose from her chair and cracked her back. It was now time to maneuver the depths of the office to reach her destination: the water cooler.

‘Ah. Here arrives the mini Akko in her head to narrate her every move and cheer her on.’

Diana arrives at the water cooler in the average time it may take one to arrive at the water cooler.

She is not paying any attention, of course - too sleep deprived and too focused on getting water into a cup - when a person squeaks behind her.

As such, Diana lets out a louder squeak (though she’s pretty sure it’s not by a generous margin) when she turns around and is met with the face of her coworker, Julie. Julie immediately squeezes her eyes shut upon hearing Diana’s squeak.

At that realization that she caused such a reaction, Diana awkwardly rubs the back of her neck and says, “Julie, right? I'm so sorry if I surprised you. It's just been a really long day and I guess I was too sleep-deprived to notice you.”

Julie slowly opens one eye. Not two, but one.

Diana smiles awkwardly. She has to take her victories where she can get them.

Julie, upon seeing Diana’s smile, hopefully deemed herself safe when she opened both eyes.

“I-It’s okay. I th-tha-think it’s pretty norm-normal for,” and then Julie's speech becomes faster than it was before, her hands now wrangling together more repeatedly than before, “p-people to be tir-tired after a lo-long day.”

Diana feels herself nodding in agreement. “Yes! In and of itself, the work is highly rewarding, but it is only natural that people begin to tire throughout the course of the day.”

Julie lets a smile slip onto her face, before remembering the situation she is in. Rapidly waving her hands at Diana in a state of “flustered,” Julie squeaks out rapidly, “O-Oh! I'm so sor-sorry! I-I-I must ha-have been district-distracting you from your wa-work!”

A confused look on her face, the only thing Diana can do is shake her head and cautiously throw out, “It’s no problem really. I was the one who started this conversation after all. It's odd, you know, but I was hoping I'd have a chance to interact with my colleagues in a much better manner.”

“R-Really? A li-lot of us tho-thought you were ta-too...focused ta-to ri-really inta-interact with!” A blush bursts onto Julie’s face at the thought of having just revealed a badly-kept secret to the person of interest.

Julie turns around, clearly heading towards her work space. Before she leaves, she tilts her head towards to Diana to yell, “So sor-sorry! I-I-I didn't ma-mean any ha-har-harm!”

With that, Julie resolutely does not turn to look back, her back the last thing Diana sees of her for the day.

If Julie had turned to look back at the most opportune moment, she may have seen Diana with her hand stretched towards her. She may have heard Diana whisper, “Nice talking to you, I guess.”

* * *

Diana's mind is plagued with thoughts of the conversation she just had as she finally situates herself in her office.

She tries to ignore the temptation of calling Akko, the presence of the phone lying next to her computer now more glaringly obvious than ever. Diana sits down and dives back into work.

But she cannot focus. Diana has been reading the same sentence for at least 5 minutes, with the words “too focused” floating around in her head a constant distraction.

Diana, no matter how she prides herself on having restraint, can be weak to temptation sometimes.

For example: when she grabs the phone viciously, not worried at all about chipping the plastic case.

(If it could not stand up to _this_ , then the sticker on the package when she bought it was _lying_ , which is rather bad marketing tactics. How could they expect more customers to buy it-)

For example: when she stares at her lock screen for a few seconds before grudgingly unlocking it, immediately clicking the icon of the Phone app.

For example: not having to even scroll down to find the contact she's looking for because it's right there at the top.

The pressure of her thumb on the contact feels right to Diana, no matter how odd that may seem.

The clock signals the passage of time as if to irritate her, the _tick-tock_ growing increasingly grating as Diana waits in suspense for Akko to pick up.

Diana’s breath hitches at the back of her neck once Akko picks up. Akko’s concerned, “Diana? What’s wrong, you rarely-”  is nonetheless interrupted by her despite how breathless she was a few seconds ago.

“Am I too focused on my work sometimes, Akko?”

Akko stops talking for a millisecond, before immediately regaining her concerned tone as she says, “What’s this about, Diana?”

She feels her throat close up. “Nothing, I guess.”

“Diana, silly. You wouldn’t ask about this if you weren’t worried.”

Despite how clogged up her throat feels, Diana can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You always knew me so well after all…”

“So? Any interest in explaining this to me? I don’t exactly possess the ability to mind read.”

Diana freezes up. Many words rush through her head and she wonders how she should string them together in such a way that Akko will no longer worry about it.

“I-It’s just that my colleagues don’t exactly...interact with me. Well, they do! I guess it’s just... stilted more than anything. And this evening, I went to the water cooler to, you know, get some water to drink when I bumped into my coworker Julie. We had a co―well, I suppose you can’t call it a conversation, but regardless, when she had suddenly apologized for distracting me from my work, I may have told her about wanting to interact with people in the law firm.”

There’s a lilt in Akko’s voice when she says, “Did you now?”

“Y-Yes. I _did_ tell her that. It came out of nowhere, truthfully. I suppose maybe it was because I didn’t really expect anything out of it. Bu-But then Julie said that everyone thinks I’m too focused to really interact with. I don’t know... _Am_ I too focused?”

“Honey…”

“So I _am_ too focused, aren't-”

“Diana, that's not what I was going to say a-”

“But it's what you were thinking, just like every-”

“Diana! I thought you would know better of me! Sure, you can be focused sometimes -  heaven forbid I forgot all the times I had to drag you out of the library at 1 AM - but it's all for a good cause."

Diana can't help but blurt out, “Really? A _good_ cause? It still doesn't get my colleagues to talk to me.”

Diana hears Akko sigh on the other side of the call and feels her heart plummet. _Great_ . She’s ruined the conversation _already_.

Or so it seems, except Akko continues to speak, unperturbed by Diana’s harsh voice. “You always told me that people try to make you take their cases, try to coerce you with a hell lot of money, but that you'd always say no because you know they got the better side of life, that they aren't unable to defend themselves like the people whose cases you _do_ take. If your coworkers can’t see how caring and kind-hearted you really are from the kind of cases you take on, then it's their loss!”

“Oh,” she says, and thinks to herself, ‘ _Great_ response Diana. Absolute _phenomenal_ , honestly.’

“Yes, Diana, no matter how much you think otherwise, it's true. If I, Akko, a person who according to you is rather short-tempered, can deal with you when you were-”

“Worse?” Diana says in a deadpan tone.

Akko snickers at that. “Yes! If _I_ could deal with you in _college_ when you were _worse_ , as you so foolishly say, your coworkers must be cowards if they're scared of you now. You're a nerd. I know that, your friends know that, and your coworkers will figure it out once they get their heads out of their ass.”

 _Well then_. “Akko, despite that rather crude statement-”

“Crude! I’d say not! I've heard you say worse when you’re drunk!”

Diana feels a blush spread across her face, reaching the tip of your ears. “Akko, can we _please_ not discuss how I dirty talk when I'm in my office-”

“It’s a travesty not to, with what you did to me later that night-”

“ _Okay_. Let's not go _there_.” Diana clears her throat, flustered, before saying, “Ahem. As I was trying to say earlier, thank you for your advice. You've always been there for me, Akko, and I honestly don't know how to make it up to you.”

The mischievousness is clear in Akko's voice when she says, “You can start by calling me every evening and _talking_ to me, Miss Cavendish. I get that you're too immersed in your work, but that just means it's up to me to pull you out of it.”

The way Diana opens and closes her mouth over and over again makes her look like a fish, she soon realizes. Thankfully, Akko is not in the room at the moment, so she does not tease her about it. _Thankfully_.

As such, Diana just says in an overly _sweet_ tone, “Bye Akko!” and laughs to herself after hearing Akko squeak out, “ _Diana_ -”

Clicking the “end call” button and ending the conversation, Diana smiles to herself.

It's as Akko said, no matter how crudely she phrased it. If her colleagues have yet to see that they are equals, then she will just to _force_ them. She is a lawyer after all, and Diana's heard that lawyers are _extremely_ persuasive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter in this two shot. Luckily, I'm almost done with the second chapter, but in my luck, you'll see that chapter in a month rather than a day.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't be afraid to comment; I'll definitely respond to them! And I hope you guys are all having a good start to a new year!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana has a surprise waiting for her this morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...surprise? I know I said y'all would have to wait a month for the next chapter but, um, it turns out I wasn't actually finished with the chapter...and it turns out that this two shot is a three shot??? *jazz hands* Hopefully the third chapter won't take long to finish but, like, no promises. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! I still know jackshit about the intricacies of being a lawyer :)!

Diana does _try_ to showcase just how friendly of a person she is.

(Akko would cackle at the very notion, of course, but _still_.)

She does _try_ , but it appears that being _extremely_ persuasive isn’t sufficient enough to warrant human interaction.

Still, Diana can be persistent, enough so that it looks like some people want to _maybe_ talk to her. It’s an accomplishment worthy of praise in her book, and despite how far ahead in the future her end goal seems, she will get there.

Regardless, Diana has Akko’s calls to look forward to every evening, and even though no one sees it, she _is_ happy.

Who knew that all it would take to get people to interact with her was some _human interest_ of all things?

What does she _mean_ by human interest?

Akko Kagari, of course.

* * *

The beginning of a new morning brings with it the end of an old case.

It also brings with it a call from Akko.

Diana is taking her time turning on her computer, distracting herself with the pepperminty smell of her tea wafting upwards.

(It’s _not_ as pretentious as sounds. It’s _actually_ rather relaxing, and it makes sense since Professor Ursula recommended it to her.)

Her case is finally finished and with the firm’s holiday party so very near, it seems she won’t be getting any cases for a while.

A break, but regardless, it’s not like she’ll take it. There certainly should be cases despite it being the end of the year.

But Diana would be more of a detriment to any case she’d take on with how little time she’d probably have to prepare.

Maybe she should attend the holiday party. Get to know a few of her colleagues.

...But she’d much rather spend her free time with Akko.

And at that moment, she was abruptly pulled out of her stream of thought, her ringtone cutting through the quiet atmosphere surrounding her.

A few of her colleagues talking outside her office simply glanced at her before returning to their conversations, while others groan, probably from either having to be awake so early in the morning _or_ a hangover if Diana had to guess.

Diana does not, however, _have_ to guess. No, she has to scramble to pick up the phone because of the ringtone being rather... _embarrassing_.

(When _had_ Akko changed her ringtone anyway?)

She leaves her phone stuck between the side of her chin and her shoulder, now distracted with finding a pencil to write stuff down (read: doodle).

“Hello?”

“Miss Cavendish, you are one of the lucky few to have won the chance to have an all-expenses-paid cruise ride! If you want to learn more, go to-”

“Akko?” Diana says, amusement evident in her voice.

“Ah! Goddammit, I thought that was going to work this time!”

“ _Honey_ , you know I wouldn’t fall for that, _especially_ after all that research I did for that one fraud case.”

“Oh! I remember that! It was―wait, why did I call you again?”

Diana chokes on her spit a little but thankfully swiftly recovers. “I don’t know _honey_. I was hoping you’d tell me.”

“No need to be so pissed, _dear_. Oh! Wait, I remember!” Diana can just _picture_ Akko clapping her hands together in childish amusement. “Come outside! I have a surprise for you!"

“A surprise? But aren’t you in-”

Akko quickly says, “Bye! See you there!” and ends the call before Diana can even finish her sentence.

Diana sighs. What could have _that_ been about?

 _It doesn’t matter_. Akko told her there had been a surprise outside for her. Maybe a package that’s just been delivered? Whatever it may be, she _really_ should not keep Akko waiting. Who knows what mayhem Akko’s _already_ caused by now?

* * *

No matter how much her mind seems to _emphasize_ that Akko has done _something_ (God knows what with how many crazy hijinks her wife got into), Diana takes her sweet, sweet time walking down the stairs.

If someone sues her for anything at _all_ , she can just blame it on the morning. And Akko.

‘And she can definitely blame Akko for leaving her breathless-’

Except that Akko has jumped on top of her out of _nowhere_ and Diana is now literally breathless.

She’s also _kinda_ blind, but that’s really the fault of Akko’s blinding smile. _Her wife had no right being so cute, it_ -

“Diana!”

Oh, right. Diana has to _talk_. Why can’t she just admire how beautiful Akko is?

“A-Akko! What are you doing here?”

Akko squints suspiciously at Diana before laughing, tossing her head back as she does. Before Diana can ponder over _how_ Akko-deprived she is to be gawking at Akko’s neck, Akko punches her in the shoulder. "Silly! I bought the plane ticket as soon as winter break started,” and then she pauses, considering Diana with a... _stare_ (there’s no other way to describe it), “You do remember it’s winter break, _right_?”

Diana rubs the back of her neck. “...Yes?”

Akko pouts. “Diana! You should be taking better care of yourself!”

“I’m improving! I drink tea in the morning!”

Akko crosses her arms, raising her eyebrows at Diana, before suddenly lifting her hands in defeat. “ _Fine_. Whatever. Now can we go in, _please_? It’s really cold-”

 _That_ explains the pin needles biting at her skin.

“-and I’d rather not stay out here any longer.”

Ah. Makes sense.

 _Wait_.

Diana splitters out a, “You do know it's office hours for the law firm, right? _Right_? Please don't tell-” but before she can finish, Akko interrupts her with an _excessively_ dramatic groan.

Diana pauses, before saying, “If you want, we can go to the holiday party the law firm's having this evening…” Akko looks ready to burst from excitement, but that doesn't stop Diana from being surprised when she rushes up to her and leans forward to give her a sweet peck on the lips.

Akko then leans back, clapping her hands together like the adorable child she is. Diana is fairly sure she says something along the lines of, “Thank you Diana!” but she is too wrapped up in how _flushed_ her cheeks feel (is it even possible to be as red as a tomato? because that is honest to god what she is right now).

 _Whatever_. At least she had managed to do it before Akko could put her under her spell. That pout of hers was just too _goddamn_ effective to be anything other than witchcraft.

Speaking of witchcraft: “Wait! You don't have the key to my apartment, right?”

Akko waves her hands at her as if _that_ is going to wave away her concerns. Hint: it's not.

“Pssh! You think too lowly of me, dear wife! I already have a copy of your keys-” _how_ , “mind you it has the Shining Chariot design on it rather than that bland design you surely went with,” how _rude_ , “and besides, I was planning on exploring the neighborhood.” Despite how incredulous the situation seems, Diana can’t help but quirk a smile at Akko.

She turns around to head upstairs, having thought that Akko had already started to leave so to begin her “adventure” in Diana's neighborhood when she hears someone clearing their throat. She tilts her head backward and is met with Akko expectantly waiting for her to do...what?

Diana shakes her head at the unnecessary question and merely waves a goodbye at Akko, calmly saying, “Have fun!”

Akko's cheeks flush a deeper red than before, going from the pinkish hue of the roses her mother used to grow to the light red of the dress Akko wore the first time Diana met her.

_Oh._

Diana throws whatever caution she was holding onto for some unknown reason and runs up to Akko, cupping her chin and kissing her searingly.

“Miss me, honey?” Diana can't help but breathe out, the frost of their breaths wafting around and mingling.

The romantic moment is swiftly ruined by Akko flicking her in the forehead, shooting an, “Of course I miss you, you idiot! That's why I came here for-”

She stops in her tangent when Diana wraps her arms around her and hugs her, a warm feeling spreading through her body. Akko tucks her chin onto Diana’s shoulders, relaxing even more Diana cards her fingers through Akko’s hair.

Life was telling her, “It's all right,” and Diana couldn't help but agree.

* * *

Diana was wrong about life telling her, “It’s all right.”

No, instead, it was telling her, “You have WORK to do.” And while normally she is able to full heartedly throw herself into her work, with the knowledge that Akko would be going with her to the law firm’s _holiday party_ of all things a constant presence in her mind she just _couldn’t_.

She’s pretty sure her coworkers have noticed how distracted she is, but Diana hardly cares at this point, too hyper-fixated on fretting over the fact that she _forgot to tell Akko that semi-formal attire is required for the holiday party_ -

Oh, wait. She has a phone. That she likes to call Akko with every evening. It _should_ be no issue texting Akko everything about the holiday party that she needed to know.

Diana goes ahead to do just that, retrieving her phone from where it’s oh so conveniently placed next to her computer, She is well immersed in eloquently typing out her text message to Akko when a clear voice says, “Today must be the day hell froze over if I’m acting as witness to Diana _texting_ someone during work.”

Diana whips her head towards the unknown voice. When her eyes land on the figure, her mouth decides to be an idiot and blurt out, “Mr. Law Firm Owner!”

Time to die of embarrassment.

Thankfully, her coworkers don’t seem to have noticed the mishap occurring, but _still_. She just called...the law firm owner...oh my god she doesn’t even remember the name of the person who founded the law firm she _works for_.

Except. Mr. Law Firm Owner, as she has so astutely dubbed him, seems to be taking amusement in her predicament.

“So…” Mr. Law Firm Owner begins, “who ya talking to?”

Diana covers her face with her hands, sinking deeper into her chair. She then remembers that she is talking to Mr. _Law Firm Owner_ and that it’s quite a bad first impression if she doesn’t answer his question.

“Someone…”

Doesn’t mean she can’t be cryptic about it.

“OK...is it your crush or something?”

Diana chokes on her spit. Her mouth decides to be a detriment to her being by throwing out a, “W-What? A crush? She’s my wife for god’s sake!”

A smile creeps along Mr. Law Firm Owner’s face in the wake of his amusement. “Ah. Thought so,” he says, before making his exit with nothing more than a wave goodbye. “Hope you have fun at the holiday party today!”

...Well. That was odd.

And she _still_ doesn’t know Mr. Law Firm Owner’s name.

Speaking of things she still hasn’t done: she still hasn’t finalized her text message to Akko.

Oh _shit_.

* * *

With all the loose ends tied up neatly, Diana decides that she should get home and change. Oh, and pick up Akko. She almost forgot all about that. Not.

She gets up to do just that but life must have decided it really doesn't like her because someone calls her name.

Diana turns to see _Matías_ running up to her, his shoes pounding against the floor, only to stop as he bends over to take obnoxiously deep breaths. Maybe she should recommend her training regiment if he's tired from that _short_ of a run.

Diana would feel more embarrassed that she even thought of doing that, but honestly, she's more focused on how bad her memory is if she remembers the name of the newbie and _not_ the name of Mr. Law Firm Owner.

“Um...Diana? Just wondering, not trying to be weird or anything, but, um, are you going to the holiday party?”

Oh, right. _Matías_.

“As a matter of fact, I _am_.”

Matías’ head shoots up, a shocked look on his face. Ah. Must have heard the rumors about her.

His hands fidget as Diana stares at him. Doesn't seem to help.

Matías rubs the back of his neck. “I know this is sudden and all, but would you mind being my-”

“No.”

“But you haven't even heard-”

“If it has to do with being your date, then no.”

Matías clenches his fists and stares at the ground. Odd.

Diana sighs and rubs her eyebrows. “Matías, look. It's not because I don't like you or anything. You seem like a nice guy. But, to be honest…”

Ah, fuck it.

“I'm married and I don't plan on leaving my wife anytime soon.”

“...Oh. _Oh_.”

Diana rushes to fix the situation, wanting to avoid the embarrassment that is bound to occur. “Besides, didn’t you have a crush on Adiv? Whatever happened to that, if you don't mind me asking?”

 _What_? Just because she's kinda (read: extremely) isolated from social interaction with her law firm doesn’t mean she _doesn't_ listen to the gossip.

Matías looks as if he has begun to accept that Diana is an omnipotent being.

“I-I’m pretty sure he's straight….you know, urged me to get a date and all that for the party….and even if he wasn't, why would he be into _me_ of all people?”

Diana stares at Matías for a few seconds. Matías fidgets in response. Diana supposes she can't _really_ blame him for looking like he's going to have a mental breakdown when she starts laughing hysterically.

“T-This isn't very funny Diana-”

She managed to collect herself, thankfully. “No, it's just that you two remind me painfully of my wife and I before we got together. I honestly thought she liked my childhood friend and urged her to ask him out on a date, you know. I was so surprised when she ended up confessing to me, but I'm pretty happy with my life so I can't complain.”

Matías mutters darkly, “Yeah, I doubt _that’s_ going to happen.”

Before he can descend further into his anxieties, Diana clears her throat to grab her attention. “Listen Matías. Love...it hurts. I know that excruciatingly well. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea to bottle all your feelings up. It's all just going to end up exploding in your face and ruining the thing that matters to you. It's better to confess on your own terms. And if Adiv doesn't like you back? Too bad for him. Heck, even I know you're great, seeing as I remember your name when I can't even remember Mr. Law Firm Owner’s name.”

Matías seems to at least consider her advice. Or not.

“M-Mr. Law Firm Owner!” he splutters and Diana realizes her own mistake far too late.

She says in what she hopes is a menacing tone, “Not a word out of you,” but it doesn't seem to work. Of course not.

Diana leaves Matías to die from his own laughter, but he squeaks out, “Wait! I won't tell anyone.”

Diana doesn't believe it, but, well, she has to take what she can get it. Still, that doesn't mean she can't have some fun.

“Okay, _Matías_. I have to get going, holiday party and all that, but before I do, I'll make sure to tell Adiv that you think he looked hot today.”

A vicious smile appears on her face at the sight Matías presents. She makes a move as if leaving but stops to pat him on the head.

“Don't worry _Matías_. I'm not _that_ cruel. Besides, I'm pretty sure Adiv thought the same thing with how often he was staring at you during the day.”

Matías blushes. Really. Hard.

Her mission now accomplished, she leaves Matías to his thoughts. Diana ends up dying even more from amusement when she faintly hears him shout, “ _H-How_ do you even know that?”

She wears a smile on her face the entire ride to her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys realize I can't write romance. And that I can't write, period.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An entrance is made. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited. Sorry about that.

She's ready, she can do this, she-

“Can you stop thinking so loudly and just take my hand already?” Akko announces rather loudly.

Finally snapped out of her thoughts, Diana puts her hand into Akko's, finding comfort with Akko’s fingers clasped over hers.

They enter the lion's den.

She’s exaggerating, of course. Her law firm is clearly not a lion's den, but still. Diana’s mind likes coming up with metaphors during stressful situations like so.

The office is tastefully decorated, with small light bulbs hanging on the walls and illuminating the room. Handmade snowflakes are attached to the ceiling and Diana cannot help but admire the effort that must have gone into making each and every one. Even if the room weren't tastefully decorated, the fact that there is not a hint of red and green together would make up for it. She vehemently _despises_ that color combination.

Oh. And the fact that there isn't a Christmas tree. Another thing to be thankful for, what with this being a _holiday_ party, _not_ a Christmas party.

Everyone is merely socializing when they enter, so Diana heads to get a drink, dragging Akko along with her.

“I thought you wanted to make friends, Diana,” Akko mock-whispers.

Diana ignores her, instead grabbing a cup and pouring herself a drink. Only then does she give a response.

“I do.”

“But?” Akko says, not at all believing her.

“Why does there always have to be a but?”

Silence rings between them for a few seconds, answering the question for Diana.

“I do wish to make friends, but I merely deigned hydrating myself more important at the moment.”

Akko looks as if she wants to say more but Diana hears someone let out a squeak of surprise behind her and decides she’d much prefer pursuing that path of conversation.

“Julie!” Makes sense that she'd be surprised to see her.

“D-D-Diana!”

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“O-Oh. Um, na-nice to see you again ta-too.”

Diana rubs the back of her neck, contemplating whether what she is about to do is even worth pursuing.

“Listen-”

“D-Diana! I-I’m sor-sorry for what I sa-said last time!”

 _What_? Diana pauses for a moment, opens her mouth to say something, and then closes it.

“It’s no issue really. It’s my fault for appearing cold, and I _do_ get too engrossed in my work so it’s a wake-up call-”

Akko hits her on the head, interrupting her. She rubs at it, hissing at the bump that is already forming, before glaring at her wife.

Julie, on the other hand, looks scared. “Um, wa-who are you exo-exactly?”

Though Akko was previously looking at Diana with her you-are-better-than-this-Diana look, she quickly flashes a bright smile at Julie. Her hands move exaggeratedly as she speaks, “I’m Atsuko Kagari, but you can call me Akko Kagari-Cavendish!”

Realization dawns on Julie’s face, and her eyes flash over to Diana. Diana can’t help but smile amusedly despite the soreness in her head.

“Yes, she’s my wife, _unfortunately_.”

“ _Unfortunately_? You should consider yourself lucky to be married to a goddess like me!”

Diana scoffs. “A goddess? More like a banshee with how much you screech about Shining Chariot sometimes.”

“You’re always buzzing with excitement alongside me, you hypocrite!”

They continue to banter with abandon, Julie watching and having her impression of Diana changed every second.

That is, until a deep voice yells out, “Julie!” drawing their attention. A man with dark messy hair, curls spilling over his clear blue eyes, approaches. ‘Lucas,’ her minds supplies.

Lucas wraps his arms around Julie’s shoulders, pressing a kiss on the top of her head in a display of affection. Julie blushes, smiling despite her embarrassment. The two are absorbed in their like for each other and Diana cannot help but smile at the sight.

“You have a boyfriend, huh?” Diana voices, shocking the two out of their revery. Julie squeaks, looking ready to jump out of her skin, while Lucas just chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I found this one,” Lucas says, ruffling Julie’s hair, “moping outside the law firm when it was _raining_ of all things, and decided to take her out to a nearby restaurant. We kept on going to that restaurant every week after that, and well,” shrugging his shoulders, “the rest is history.”

Julie fidgets with her hands while she speaks, “I-I was fa-feeling pretty down af-after saying all th-that I said ta-to you, but,” turning her head to stare at Lucas fondly, “he ma-made me fa-feel better.”

Diana smiles sadly. “I’m sorry for that, but...I’m happy you found someone who makes you feel, you know, happy.”

Julie waves her hand upon hearing that, blabbering, “O-Oh! It’s no is-issue really!”

“Still. I hope we’ll be able to start over as friends, maybe?”

A smile crosses Julie’s face, mirroring the one on Diana’s. “I-I’d like that, i-if you da-don’t mind.”

* * *

Diana watches Julie’s back as she walks away, a pleasant smile on her face, when the soreness in her head suddenly spikes in pain.

“Ow! Akko, what is it with you and hitting me on the head?”

Akko plants her hand on her hip, looking imperious, “I don’t know Diana, what is it with you and blaming yourself?”

Diana is ready to argue against that statement when she feels a tap on her shoulder.

“Wha-” she says, turning around to the sight of absolutely no one. Another tap on her other shoulder. Diana turns around again.

She finally reaches a point where she is _done_ with this nonsense (Akko would surely comment on how _old_ she sounds) and grabs the hand of her assailant.

“Matías! And here I thought we had an alliance after I gave you such remarkable advice!”

All the boy does in response is crack a mischievous smile. Diana groans.

“ _Shit_. I didn’t know you were actually telling the truth when you said that it was Diana who convinced you to ask me out.”

Diana smirks, recognizing Adiv’s voice. “Ah, I see you have obtained a boyfriend,” she says to Adiv.

(Why is she saying this _so_ many times today?)

Matías splutters, and in his distraction, Diana goes in for the kill. “Adiv?” The boy in question lifts his head, staring at her inquisitively. “I was just wondering whether you noticed how much Matías stared at your abs today.”

Matías looks ready to burst into flames, blurting, “You _promised_ me you wouldn’t tell him!” before curling into himself while Adiv stares at him, frozen in place. _Ah_. There’s the blush she was waiting for.

“Kid, I just _told_ you I wouldn’t tell him that you thought he looked hot. I never promised you anything. And besides, it’s not my fault you _did_ stare at his abs the entire day instead of doing work.”

Matías emerges from his self-made cocoon, muttering, “I’m not drunk enough for this.” Before he leaves, presumably to get drunk off his ass, he says in what he thinks is a threatening tone, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about Mr. Law Firm Owner.”

Diana knows he’s joking. He _better_ be joking if he knows what’s good for him. “The feeling’s mutual, kid! And I suggest you not spread slander about me if you want to live!”

Adiv is still in a catatonic state, but pulls himself out of it. “I should go,” he says, jutting his thumb in Matías’ direction, “but it was nice to meet you. Very...eye-opening.”

Diana watches as he nudges Matías with his hip, cackling when she hears, “So...were you _actually_ looking at my abs the entire day?”

* * *

“It’s nice to see ya making friends, Diana.”

Her minds jumps to the conclusion that it’s Akko speaking. She _is_ next to her after all, but still. An unfortunate mistake.

“Yes, well, Akko. I did tell you that I do plan on making friends.”

A deep chortle is emitted from behind her, not sounding anything like Akko. _That_ is when she realizes her mistake.

“Wow, today truly is a day of firsts. We have you texting on your phone and now we have the supposed ice queen melting her heart of ice on her own volition. Who knows what will happen next! Maybe politicians will stop putting lies in their mouth tomorrow?”

Diana turns around, apologies on the tip of her tongue to respond to the distasteful look likely on Mr. Law Firm Owner’s face, only to be stopped at the sight of a smile on his face.

“Mr. La - ahem, I mean, it is nice to see you here, sir. I did not mean to offend you by referring to you in such a...disrespectful manner.”

Mr. Law Firm Owner cups his chin in his hand, deep in contemplation. A light bulb appears to go off in his head.

“It’s fine. Amusing, actually! But please, refer to me as Tor Moissis next time we meet.”

Diana nods in agreement. “Of course, Mr. Moissis.”

She thinks that everything is fine after that, except Mr. Moissis suddenly waves his finger at her. “Ah ah ah. Diana, I told you my first name for a reason, and that reason is not for you to ignore it. Call me Tor, if you don’t mind.”

Diana splutters, “B-But, sir, that’s very unprofessional and I do not wish to insult you further-”

Mr. Moissis waves off her concern. “Not to worry. You are worthy of it, having contributed much to this company, and even if you had not...well, you are certainly interesting enough to make up for it!”

“Okay then...how was your day then, Tor?”

Mr. Moi - Tor blinks, shocked at how quickly the topic changed. He recovers, a smile slithering across his face.

Clasping his hands together, he enthusiastically exclaims, “It was wonderful, actually, thank you for asking. How about you? You mentioned your wife was coming to the party after all.”

“Yes...my wife…”

Where _was_ Akko? She abandoned her in her time of need!

“Did someone mention me?”

Diana masks a sigh of relief, instead smiling at Tor. “Yes, here she is.” Turning to Akko, she whispers, “This man over here is the owner of the law firm so _please_ -”

Akko’s hand shoots out, interrupting her. “Nice to meet you, sir! I’m Atsuko Kagari-Cavendish!”

Tor accepts, firmly shaking Akko’s hand. “Yes, it is nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard so much about you from your wife...Your handshake is rather firm, did you know that?”

Akko takes this all in stride, not looking perplexed at all. Rubbing the back of her head, she says, “Ah, yes. Well, it had to get stronger for me to hold onto the kids I teach at the preschool. You know kids, they love to run away whenever they have the chance.”

Tor smiles pleasantly at that before glancing at his watch. “Ah, it seems I must be taking my departure.” He lifts his head. “It was nice to meet you, Akko.”

Before he leaves, Tor tilts his head back and blithely comments, “Diana, be prepared. Something wonderful may happen to you tonight.”

Diana is left baffled as Tor’s back disappears.

Akko pulls her out of her thoughts, clapping her hands together. “Well, he was nice! But...You never told me you talk to him about me!”

“Ah, yes, definitely…”

* * *

The party was nearing the end. Diana was ready to leave, exhausted from a night of actually successfully interacting and wanting to fall face first onto her soft bed.

With Akko in her arms…

She shakes her head. Tor had announced that he would be making an announcement momentarily and it was likely important enough that she should remain a little longer.

Akko places her arm on Diana’s shoulder, comforting her. Diana smiles, a pleasant feeling flooding her system at her wife’s worth.

Finally, Tor nears the microphone that has been set up.

“Ahem. Testing, testing, one, two, three.” He turns to his secretary who is standing near, a tired look on their face, and points at the microphone. “Selby, is this actually working?”

Selby narrows their eyes. “Yes sir, it is indeed working.”

“That’s great! Well than. I would like to start off by wishing you all a good evening...or a good night, really. I hope you have enjoyed this party because it will likely be you only break before the flood of cases we will be taking on next year.

“Now then. Many of you have been here since the beginning of this law firm, when it was merely a seedling I planted in the soil. I have been at the head of the law firm by myself for a while, but I have realized...that it is time I take on a partner. I suppose I could merely take on someone who has been in the field for an extended period of time, but that’s too...cliche. The times are always rapidly changing and it is always the younger generation that is able to keep up with it.

“As this firm is now, we have done good in the world. But I hope that with the taking on of this partner, this firm will be able to do great things for the world.

“Hence, I am proud to announce my new partner…

“Diana Cavendish-Kagari.”

 _What_?

Akko is patting her on the back. Why?

Why is everyone cheering?

“Diana! You’re the new partner! Come on, go up there, silly!”

Akko’s dragging her somewhere. Where?

Someone’s chuckling. “Well, it seems that my new partner is in shock, so I guess we’ll just call it a wrap. Good night everyone! Get home safely. Except for you guys on the cleanup team, don’t think you can skimp out on your duties.”

* * *

Diana thinks she remembers reaching home, Akko rubbing circles on her back.

It is only when she is plopped onto her couch that she begins to process what happened.

“Oh my god…”

Diana proceeds to kiss the heck out of Akko.

Out of breath, Akko huffs, “What was that for?”

Diana smiles. “I’m just really happy you’re my wife.”

Akko has her arms crossed, pouting, before finally giving in and kissing her on her forehead. “Me too, Diana.”

Suddenly, her phone pings, the screen lighting up with a notification that she has received a text message.

It reads: _Hello. This is Selby, Mr. Moissis’ secretary. I congratulate you on your promotion, but would like to remind you that Mr. Moissis is an erratic man and that you should prepare yourself for some...unconventional times._

Another text message is immediately followed by this: _Ignore Selby, they’re just a tad paranoid. This is Tor, btw. Hope you’re ready for a fulfilling day of work tmrw ;)_

Now, Diana rarely curses unless the situation requires it.

“Holy shit…”

Let’s just say the situation requires it _immensely_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! After a two month wait, we are finally here!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic! It was really fun to write, so I hope it was fun for y'all to read. 
> 
> I would like to apologize for the crap ending. I just wanted to finish this once and for all so I wrote this all today. Maybe I'll continue along with this idea in another oneshot. Speaking of, if you spot any mistakes in this, please tell me in the comments! I would highly appreciate it, and I'm sure other readers would appreciate a grammatically correct fanfic.
> 
> Have a good day! Or night, depending on your time zone!
> 
> Edit: I finally got a tumblr today, so if you want, you can contact me at: neutral-as-fuck.tumblr.com!


End file.
